


Not A Party

by missema



Series: Kirkwall Tech [10]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Frat Parties, Kirkwall (Dragon Age), Kirkwall Tech, Minor Illness, Sexual Content, handjobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 13:43:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12013980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missema/pseuds/missema
Summary: It's finally fall semester, and Melissa Hawke and Sebastian are back in school for their final year at Kirkwall Tech. Sebastian's fraternity is throwing an epic recruitment party so he's getting ready, Isbaela's buying new clothes for it, Fenris might put in an appearance, and Hawke wakes up with a sinus infection. No party is enjoyable when your sick and supposed to stay away from alcohol, but luckily, she doesn't need a party.





	Not A Party

The fall of her senior year started smoothly, with all her expected classes beginning with no real surprises. The giddiness of being so close to graduation filled Melissa, and between her and Sebastian they'd practically planned out what they were going to do right after graduation to the letter. Sebastian was going to stay in Kirkwall, with her, and find himself an apartment. He had enough money now that finding a place wouldn't be an issue, especially not if he secured a job with the Viscounty. They weren't moving in together, at least they had no plans on it yet. Melissa was going to stay in her apartment with Isabela for as long as it suited both of them.

Kirkwall Society of Engineers was participating in the fall rush season, where they got underclassmen to try to join their ranks by hosting social events and letting them get to know the current members. Melissa's presence was eagerly encouraged at as many functions as she could get to because (1) She usually brought Isabela, who was always ready for free food and (2) Girls at any event boosted chance of attracting more people to their events, though not all of them were interested in KSE. Isabela and Bethany, who came along to a cookout at Sebastian's urging, both ended up with admirers that had nothing to do with KSE at all. Melissa didn't ask her sister if she slept with hers, because she feared the answer would be yes.

One of the biggest ways to attract those last minute recruits was to throw a really big party during the first few weeks of school. This tactic dazzled the freshmen, who generally managed to make it to about three of these different parties each week before collapsing. KSE was having an especially epic party that year with two bands, one for inside and one outdoors, enough grain alcohol based jungle juice to render a bronto unconscious, a glass cage of dancing mageflame for decoration, and as a coup de grace, ice cubes spiked with aquae lucidius. 

She was actually quite proud the ice cubes. The KSE brothers in charge called her to ask the exact amount to use without knowing the body weight of everyone ingesting it. They wound up using an eye dropper to put it in the cubes, and she tried one the weekend before. It was a pleasant enough experience for about three or four hours and then it wore off, nothing like the old Orlesian parties of people being wrecked out of their minds for days on end, seeing purple dragons in the sky. The ice cubes weren't just going to be given out to everyone, since they weren't exactly for drinking, but they were considered a treat. It was the job of Corff, the bartender they hired for the event, to make sure they weren't given to the same person twice, and only served at the discretion of the KSE officers, so there was a pretense of responsibility about serving them.

The party was on a Friday, and Isabela had been nearly vibrating in anticipation all week, especially after attending a less than stellar party on Wednesday night. Melissa hadn't bothered to go, instead deciding to help KSE with their last minute prep. The morning of the party however, Melissa woke up with pain in her face, a heaviness behind her eyes and pressure making her teeth ache on one side of her face. When she blew her nose, pain lanced sharply through the congested side of her face and made her ear ring.

"Andraste's ass, you look like shit," Isabela said, greeting her just before noon. Melissa didn't have class or tutoring in the morning on Friday, her first and only class was for two hours in the afternoon and attendance wasn't mandatory. Even though it wasn't mandatory to go, skipping it seemed like a bad idea during the first month of class.

"I feel like shit. I think it's a sinus infection," Melissa said. The pain in her teeth was either a terrible cavity or sinus pressure.

"Shit, that sucks," Isabela said. She'd seen Melissa suffer through them before, and while she wasn't going to die, they were definitely painful. "Are you thinking about going to the clinic before the party?"

"If I go, unless the healer is actually there they'll give me antibiotics and I won't be able to drink tonight. If it's too bad, even if the mage is there, it's still antibiotics."

"Go on anyway, and see if you can get the healing before you get to class. If not you'll still have the pills for after the party."

Melissa wanted to sleep instead of going out at all, but pain throbbed hotly in the side of her face when she yawned, so sharp it made her eyes water. It settled into the dull, ever-present ache that was characteristic of a sinus infection just under her right eye. First things first, she thought to herself, and then went into the bathroom to rinse out her aching sinus cavities with saline, then she'd have a cup of hot tea. She was going to this party tonight.

#

Sebastian didn't even have classes on Fridays, but that was by his own design. He liked to have the time to work on whatever needed attention, whether it was KSE business, his homework or Melissa. Right now it was KSE that was taking up all of his time, as it did at the beginning of every year when they had rush. For years he'd tried to get his friend Fenris to rush, but he'd resisted all attempts. He was however, helping Sebastian as he worked on a project for the house before the party began.

Power tools and manual labor had never been part of Sebastian's upbringing. There were skilled people to do the work for his parents, people that were paid well and worked mysteries with construction materials. That changed at the Chantry, when he was pressed into service doing all manner of things, a crash course of all the necessary life skills that would be superfluous to a pampered prince, but regular people needed to know. Sebastian enjoyed working with his hands now, he liked how the work had a tangible result. The Mother that taught him how to use power tools had been patient, agreeable and considered no work wasted. He brought her careful consideration and his knowledge of drafting together now to make far better things than he could have imagined at the Chantry.

"So what is this going to be?" Fenris asked, helping Sebastian as he helped him with the construction projects. Fenris was a solid, reliable hand at assisting, and didn't need a lot of instruction. They'd met at the Chantry when Sebastian was doing this kind of work outside in a Kirkwall Tech shirt, and Fenris had been directed to talk to him by a Mother that had been encouraging him to consider going to school.

"We're cutting what's going to be patio furniture and planters for the house. I'm working on getting it ready for alumni weekend. We had the outside repainted before school started, and now the biggest project outside of recruiting pledges is to finish up the landscaping," Sebastian said.

"And you like using the table saw," Fenris finished, smiling at him.

"That I do, and I can admit it." Sebastian smiled back at him, surprised by the sincerity behind it. It was a sunny day, the party was later, the pledge class looked promising, he was out using his hands and his friend was with him. All he needed was his girlfriend and it would be a perfect day, but he'd see her later at the party. 

They talked a little of everything. Fenris had been employed during the summer doing something that Sebastian could never quite get him to outright say, instead talking about how his work had often taken him to the Wounded Coast and back, and then asking about the Chantry. Sebastian's full summer of internship work and Melissa hadn't given him much of a chance to get back there to volunteer, but he had gone with Isabela to make her donation to the Chantry.

"So things are going well with Hawke?" Fenris asked, looking up after he finished drilling a pocket hole into a plank of wood.

"They are. Better than ever. It's unseemly how happy I am right now, but there it is," Sebastian said, and this time he wasn't aware that he smiled when he spoke of her.

"Is she no longer a tutor? I had hoped..." Fenris trailed off, his question bringing Sebastian back from the memory he was about to indulge in reliving.

"I think she is, or she intended to be. She'll be here tonight if you want to ask her yourself."

"I am in need. This is my last math class forever, and she taught me far more than any professor. Perhaps that's what she should be, if she ever wants to pursue her doctorate," Fenris mused and Sebastian gave a shake of his head.

"She's of no mind to pursue one, at least not yet. She can hardly believe she's graduating."

"Well, I'll try to find her tonight, if I don't, can you let her know I asked?" Fenris asked and Sebastian nodded. 

"Of course. Now let's get the sander out and the primer. Stain will take too long to dry before the party, but we can prime and get them out of the way before drunk people start stumbling out of the doors tonight," Sebastian said.

"Ah, it is truly the best part of college," Fenris opined, making Sebastian laugh again.

#

After class, she still had a headache. The mage had been in but their healing skill had been weak. The pain was lessened and the mage had promoted healing within her, but Melissa's face still ached and she needed a nap. Setting aside the homework she'd planned to do that afternoon in favor of sleeping. Isabela was already ahead of her, sprawled out on the couch when Melissa came in, a shopping bag at her side.

Isabela wasn't a huge spender normally, but loved the act of going shopping. Earlier she'd intended to go with her to buy an outfit for the party, but going to the clinic before class had made Melissa tell Bela not to wait. The insurance settlement from Isabela's late ex-husband had been a lot of money, more than Melissa had seen in her whole life, and Isabela was of a mind to enjoy it. The shoes she'd been buying recently were designer, the sunglasses and bags were premium and the clothes plentiful. She'd even paid up the rent on the apartment for the school year for both of them, a generosity that Melissa was thankful for. Her own job over the summer had resulted in a nice savings, but not enough where she didn't feel like she could quit her tutoring job.

Hours later, Melissa woke up with the familiar heaviness and pain in her face with her phone buzzing somewhere near her head. Six text messages from Bethany about the party. She grimaced as she sat up to respond, the unwelcome pressure behind her eyes causing almost as much pain as she'd been in before the healing. Answering Bethany and reassuring her that she could just show up, Melissa got up to see what Isabela was doing, and make herself some hot tea. The steam would help ease up the pain. The dreaded antibiotics had been prescribed and were now in her bag. If she didn't drink, she'd take them when she got home.

"Hawke, hey you're up," Isabela said, coming out of her room as Melissa put the kettle on. "Good, I've got two outfits for tonight, and I bought you something. Not for tonight, but for the formal. I found the best bracelet to go with your dress."

"Mother said it's nearly done," Melissa told her and Isabela beamed. 

"She's awesome for doing it, your mom. And you're going to take Sebastian's breath away that whole weekend, I promise you. But anyway let me get your opinion on this dress," Isabela said and flitted back into her room, where she proceeded to talk from behind the door. "I walked past there this afternoon and saw your boy shirtless and working on something in the yard. They looked like they were getting it all dressed up for tonight. 

"Are you going to play dress up Hawke for the entire weekend of the formal?" Melissa asked, adding lemon and honey to her tisane. 

"You know I am. I love that he's actually giving you a reason to dress up and go places that don't include Athenril's 'make sure you get paid and not followed' instructions." Isabela came out from behind her door, walking in a pair of very new high-heeled boots. "I'm so glad you don't have to work for her anymore."

"Me too," Melissa agreed. "So is that dress number one?"

It was a sleeveless white bodycon dress with a double v neckline. It fit perfectly, like it was a glove that had just been waiting for Isabela to fill it. The boots however, didn't really work with it, and Melissa told her so.

"The boots are a little much with it, but I like the dress. It's perfect."

"What are you wearing?" Isabela asked, going back into her room.

"Shorts and a halter top," Melissa answered, and sipped at her tea. Isabela came back out without the boots, and wearing another dress, this one a swing dress in a rich dark blue with no sleeves and a scoop neckline, but it was much shorter than the more revealing white dress. "Okay, I lied, that one is perfect," Melissa said.

Isabela grinned at her. "I know, I can't make up my mind. I'm thinking blue just in case someone spills some jungle juice on me. I don't want to have to murder anyone."

"Justifiable homicide," Hawke said. "I should get to my hair and makeup. Ugh, I don't even want to touch my face."

"Healer wasn't there?" Bela asked. 

"They were, but just weren't very good with it. I would ask Bethany, but she's not that great at it either and even worse when she's been drinking. The pills are in my backpack, and I think I'm abstaining tonight so I can take them when I get back."

She dressed and pulled her hair into a high ponytail, putting in large curls that she was sure wouldn't stay up through the night. Melissa's outfit was as simple as she'd said, pairing a sky blue halter top with white shorts. She painted her lips a soft matte pink and put on a bit of mascara, but didn't bother to do much more. Her shoes was more practical than Bela's, a pair of broken in espadrilles with a wedge heel. It was a much more casual look than Isabela's beautiful party dresses, but Melissa honestly had no energy to spare for extra party primping. She took medicine for the pain that lingered in her face and then headed out with Isabela.

They walked right past the line, and when Melissa got to the front, the man on the door was the brother called 'Lucky Lyrium' or Lucky for short. He leaned in and kissed her cheek in greeting and then swept her and Isabela inside without anymore ceremony.

"St. Seb is somewhere around. I last saw him near the magefire pit," Lucky told her.

The house looked amazing. It was honestly just a large house with a bunch of small bedrooms and two decks most of the time. The general upkeep of it and the smell reminded everyone that young men lived there, and if Sebastian didn't have his own bathroom, she wouldn't sleep there nearly as much. But tonight it was sparkling clean in every room, the bathrooms marked with clear signs and the doors to the bedrooms closed in favor of opening up the emptied living spaces. A list of the nicknames of brothers that weren't drinking and available to drive people home hung near every door that led outside. The normal couches and tvs had been put into the bedrooms for the party so it became an empty space. Somewhere back inside the band warmed up with a familiar song.

"We're way too early," Isabela muttered, looking around with a mild look of disapproval. People were inside already, but not very many. There were a bunch of excited looking brothers wearing KSE shirts, one of whom scooted up to them eagerly.

"Hi Hawke," he said brightly, "Sebastian's back with the band." He turned immediately from Melissa to Isabela, looking her up and down and grinning. "Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" he asked.

"I'm in need of a drink," Isabela replied, smiling sweetly at him. As he scurried back to the bar, Bela turned to her and made a face. "I didn't go out and buy two dresses just to come here and fuck some untested nerd who peed in the bed last night."

Melissa gave a hard, snorting laugh, but couldn't make a response before the underclassman came back with the drink. It was jungle juice in a red cup, and Isabela handed it back without taking a sip.

"Go get em tiger," Melissa whispered and left to find Sebastian. More people were being let in the front door, it was slowly becoming more populated, but it wasn't hard to find her way through the house.

The first floor was completely open save for the kitchen, and the path led from the front of the house to the deck at the back where the first of the two bands would be playing. The inside band was already set up, but they were drinking first for an hour while the outside musicians played, enticing people to the party. She literally bumped into Sebastian as he was coming back into the house from the outside.

"Lissa!" He caught her by the arm as she stumbled back a step after colliding with his chest and pulled her into a kiss.

Nothing in the world felt as wonderful as the full force of Sebastian's kiss. It was soft and exploratory, his tongue quick as it darted into her mouth and teased hers. She felt the warmth of his hand on her back slid down towards her backside as he pulled her closer. It went on, and she could feel the coolness of the night air coming through the open door behind him, but she was nowhere near chilled until he pulled away.

"I've missed you," he said in a low voice, the burr of his accent becoming more noticeable.

"It was a long day," she admitted, and sighed. "I have a sinus infection and the healer couldn't get rid of it. Going to class was painful."

He slipped an arm around her and they walked back into the party together. "I was going to check if you were here, but since you clearly are, I should get you a drink," he said and then paused, "unless you aren't drinking tonight."

"I thought I should stick to water," she confirmed. He walked up to the bar that several brothers were manning, standing next to the giant water jugs filled with jungle juice.

"Lissa's not drinking tonight, lads. Make sure she gets a chilled bottle of water whenever she needs one," he told them. 

"Right," one of them answered and nodded at her. "You want one now?" he asked. 

"Sure," Melissa said, and took the proffered cold bottle glad to have it, though she missed her hot tea.

She and Sebastian went outside to listen to the music now that it had really gotten going, and Melissa found that Isabela was already out there. They danced as people started to join them, the crowd expanding so quickly that every time Melissa paused to take a breath, there were even more people filled the yard. They were everywhere, drinking out of the ubiquitious red cups that came from the bartenders dispensing jungle juice and weak beer. The good bottled beer was by special request from Corff, who was set up on the deck. The aquae lucidious ice cubes had yet to make an appearance, but it was still early.

#

He could see that she was flagging before the party even really got started. Melissa had gone from dancing to standing around drinking water and bobbing her head within a few songs and she looked tired. Sebastian didn't want her to leave, but if she was going to be sicker in the morning from it, he would feel bad.

"Can you unlock your room for me?" she asked him, and he was chagrined as he shook his head.

"The brothers laptops and personal items are in my room tonight, just in case they want to bring people upstairs. We thought it was safest since I have the biggest room and you weren't planning to stay."

"Oh, crap. Well, I guess," she kept talking but the band started playing a new song and Sebastian steered her towards a more quiet corner. "I have a bad headache," she shouted.

"I can get someone to take you home," he said.

"You can't drive me?" 

Sebastian felt like he was disappointing her in every way tonight, but again he had to shake his head. "I'm primary board memeber on duty for the first two hours. I can't leave or drink until later," he told her. "But I'll find you the sober drivers for a ride."

She shook her head. "I'll walk."

He was stenuously against the idea, and finally she relented, letting him do that one thing for her. She went to get another water bottle and say goodbye to some of the brothers before she left. Melissa was pretty popular around the house, especially since she'd figured out the trick with the ice cubes. Sebastian went to find Blue, who was doing the first shift of driving. He found the blue-haired brother near the front door and bade him stay put while he got Melissa.

"You're like so beautiful. I hope Sebastian knows how lucky he is," Worthy was saying. The dwarf was more than a little tipsy already, and he was looking up at Melissa as he spoke. "I've always thought you were beautiful, Hawke."

"Um, thanks. I try. Oh hey Sebastian, is everything ready?" she asked. She looked exhausted, and it was obvious from the dark shadows under her eyes that the healing hadn't really done much for her at all.

"Yes, did you tell Bela you were leaving?"

"Yup. Thanks for the water, Worthy," she said and turned to leave. Sebastian helped her through the crowd to Blue, who was still waiting at the door for her.

"Hey Hawke, you're my first ride tonight. You can either give me your address to put in my phone or just give directions."

"It's not far," she said and turned to Sebastian. She gave him a short goodbye kiss and turned away, walking past the line to the end of the street where all the cars were parked. Sebastian watched her go until someone came over to ask him another question. He walked past the magefire pit as it sparked blue and crackled, no heat coming from the energy. All of him wished he were going home with her.

#

Melissa wasn't sleeping when her phone rang an hour and a half later, but it wasn't for lack of trying to sleep. Her body wasn't ready to fall asleep again after her pre-party nap but she didn't have the energy to go back to the party. She was sitting in her room in her pajamas with the humidifier on and eucalyptus and menthol scented steam coming from it, waves of hot, humid air filling the room. It almost made the pain go away, but not quite. The mug that had held her third cup of tea sat empty on her desk as she picked up the phone.

"Open the door, I'm outside," Sebastian said in her ear.

"I thought you were staying at the party," she said, but walked out to open the front door anyway. She opened it and hung up her phone and Sebastian answered her question in person.

"There was nothing to stay for after you left," he said and kissed her. He caught her up in his arms, folding her warm body into his arms, a hand trailing through her loose hair. 

She held his hand as they walked back to her room and she closed the door behind them. The dim light in the room came from her desk lamp, steam curling in front of it from the humidifier. It was hot in her room, and she saw Sebastian shuck off his shoes and socks near the door. It was cool enough at night now that he should have been wearing a jacket, but he'd just come from a party filled with people and alcohol and magefire. She was surprised he hadn't been sweating when he got in, but she supposed he could have driven over with the windows opened and cooled off considerably. He turned to her, standing as if he didn't know what to do while she settled back onto the bed.

"Maker's breath it's hot in here," he said.

"The steam helps, and it's going to get pretty hot in here. You might need to take off more than just your socks," Melissa said, giving him a slight smile.

"Are you trying to get me naked, Hawke?" he asked, grinning back at her.

"Yup." Her answer was so cheery that Sebastian couldn't help but laugh at it and sat down on the bed next to her. In the next moment, he took off his blue KSE shirt, the one that had Choir Boy on the back like a jersey said the names of the players on the field. He folded it and hung it over the end of her bed.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked, suddenly super aware of how naked they both were. She was wearing what she'd planned to sleep in, but it was just her underwear and a slightly too big tank top. It didn't even really come much further than her butt, and she was wearing socks to cover her feet with were slathered in more menthol and eucalyptus.

"Sure," he said and laid back against the wall. She got up and opened her laptop, and turned on the projector. It was Isabela's, a gift from someone she no longer cared about, but she gave it to Hawke to use because she was notoriously bad at watching movies. Bela talked and paused movies, walking out of them only to come back days later or just looking up what happened online.

Melissa set up the movie without trouble, and the two of them had a brief debate over what to watch. She favored action movies and he liked documentaries. They compromised on comedy, and once it started, he pulled her close to him.

The first half hour went by quietly, but then she could tell that Sebastian was too hot in her room, though he didn't complain. Melissa was still fine, but he got up and took off his pants, leaving only his boxer briefs on as he settled back into her bed. Ten minutes later, Melissa paused it again, this time so she could get a cup of tea. She turned down the humidifier and let the door stay open as they went out, Sebastian looking around just in case Isabela had come back.

"She won't be back tonight," Melissa told him, "she's at your party."

When she put the kettle on, Sebastian declined a cup of tea but did take ice water. There was nothing else in the house to drink besides those two options, save for the liquor in Isabela's room. As she flitted around the kitchen, Sebastian sat in a kitchen chair.

"This is an interesting table," he commented, tracing the grain of the wood with a finger as he looked over the top.

"Isabela says it was a gift from a woodworker she dated. She broke up with her before the chairs could be made," Melissa said. Every chair at the table was mismatched, but Melissa liked that about it. It felt right. The table was well-made and handsome, and she could see the carpenter in Sebastian admiring it. 

"Who broke up with who?" Sebastian asked, but Melissa just shrugged.

"Not sure."

He reached out a hand and Melissa took it, letting him pull her into him. She looked down as he gazed up at her, her knees almost hitting the chair as she stood between his legs. It was easier to straddle his lap to reach him for a kiss, so she did it in an ungainly move that had him steadying her with a hand at her back. His palm slid under her shirt, the heat of it touching the cool skin of her back.

"I'm sorry I had to leave tonight," she whispered against his lips.

"I'm not," Sebastian answered, punctuating it with a kiss. "This is more my kind of party."

Every kiss took longer than the one before until they all seemed to intertwine into one kiss that underscored every touch, every breath and lingering caress. Behind her the kettle began to boil, but neither paid it any mind -- it would shut itself off. The world shrank to only encompass the two of them and let everything else around them fade to nothingness. She neither heard nor cared about the bubbling teapot of water, the sounds of the night traffic or the gentle hiss of the humidifier in her room. It was all Sebastian, his warm embrace and the feeling of his broad palms as they swept over her skin, up her thighs and back, over the curve of her breasts and back down over her belly, until his hand reached lower. A finger hooked in the band of her underwear and stilled, waiting.

"Yes," she breathed into his ear as she spread her thighs wider around him. Sebastian slid her panties to the side and let his finger sweep down her slit, earning a breathy moan from her.

He teased and touched her, but mostly just kissed her. It was as if the hand that lingered over such sensitive parts of her was an afterthought to Melissa's mouth and the onslaught he waged against it. When he finally slid the finger inside of her, it was after he'd drew it up and down each petal time and again, and she'd started shifting her hips, rocking them to bring him closer as his fingers nimbly continued their tracing.

But then he did push that lone finger inside of her, making her moan. She let it spill from her lips without hesitation and Sebastian obviously liked that response, because he drew it out and back again, just to make her moan again. He was good with his fingers, and she recalled tales he only alluded to of misspent youth, of men and women in his past and acts of pleasure she lacked the imagination to think of and was ardently glad for them. Melissa was not a virgin, but she also hadn't a lover in the past that was wholly aware of how to best give pleasure as well as receive it.

Sebastian had the knowledge and experience she craved, and was using it to make her slowly melt in his arms. They were locked in a dance of kissing and touching, and Sebastian seeing what more he could do to earn her favorable responses. Melissa pulled at her shirt, letting her breasts spill out from the overlarge neckline, tired of the fabric between them and Sebastian's kisses. He made a low, growling moan before taking one and kissing it, raking his teeth over the already hard nipple. His finger lost its rhythm as he was distracted, but picked up again moments later.

She felt herself beginning to climax, but knew it wouldn't happen without direct stimulation. She would hover on the edge of the world and never fall over if he kept doing just this, and so moved his hand just a little bit, pushing his thumb into place to put pressure on her hard clit. And he did, because Sebastian, as ever, took instruction very well. It came steady upon her, the heat and quaking anticipation of it and as she got closer Melissa broke the kiss to look down into Sebastian's eyes. His gaze always seemed intense because of the very blue-ness of his eyes, and now she found she couldn't look away, not even as she wanted to tip her head back and yell to the heavens. Instead she was locked in his gaze and only one word came out as she came.

"Sebastian," she whispered, her breath stolen away by the ferocity of her climax almost as soon as she said his name. After she spoke, he kissed her hard, his mouth bruising and aching and just so right in that moment all flush with everything that had just happened. 

In the next moment her hands had gone to his groin, and she felt the steel hardness of his cock between their bodies. She was sure that Sebastian didn't want to have sex -- he was too romantic to just throw her across the kitchen table as she wanted in this second -- but she wasn't ready to end this yet. With one hand holding her up on his shoulder, she used the other to reach between them and give as good as she'd gotten. Soon he was exposed and it was his turn to groan as she wrapped a hand around his length and stroked.

The kissing resumed, but it wasn't the light, teasing kisses from before she'd come; they were harder, more pointed kisses that greedily sought out even more pleasure. She moved her hand even faster around him, pumping at his length as he began to groan in time to it. It seemed to be a moment suspended that lasted almost too long as she repeated her movements without increasing the tempo too much, until she felt him tense up and knew it wouldn't be much longer.

She had to decide how to take care of it, now that he was inevitably going to come. She opted to let him come on her thigh instead of getting off his lap to take him in her mouth. There would be time for that later, she decided and she kept going until she heard the deep, growling moan that came from him, felt the full-bodied shiver he gave as she slowed her stroking. Melissa kissed him through it, her kisses lighter than his had been, distractingly sweet brushes of her mouth over his as he came.

With a last soft moan that sounded more like a whimper, Sebastian finished. Melissa never liked mess and grabbed a paper towel from the roll on the table to clean her thigh before it spilled off of her onto him. Sebastian let his head fall back between his shoulders, resting on the back of the chair. She got up to put the paper towels in the trash and wash her hands, but not before kissing him again. He caught her softly, lethargic in his movements, but as pleased with himself as a cat in the sun.

He didn't say anything as he let her go, but went into the bathroom after her. When he came out, she was boiling the water again for tea.

#

Sebastian had to leave. He didn't really want to go at all, but it was his stupid party, and he had go back to clean up. 

After the kitchen, they'd gone back to bed. He fell asleep on her chest as the movie played on, the warmth and humidity lulling him into an easy sleep after his recent climax. Sweet Maker, that had been good in a way he hadn't ever expected. Many years had passed since the last time he wasn't inside of someone when he came, and he felt now as he had when he was younger, like he'd won a prize he hadn't known he was in the running for. 

Melissa was still sick, he knew because she was snoring in her sleep and she definitely didn't snore. The little room was once again hot and redolent with the smell of menthol, which eased her congestion. If she wasn't well tomorrow when he called he'd find her a healer that could see her on a Saturday.

"Lissa. Sweetheart," he said, standing over her. He was fully dressed and had to crack the door to her room so the heat wouldn't overwhelm him. "I've got to go."

She sat up in the dark, confused. "You're leaving?"

"I have to get back to the house before the end of the party," he explained. She held out her hand and he took it, then she promptly tugged him back down to the bed.

"Stay," Melissa commanded, but he couldn't. 

"I would if I could. I'm the president," he said beseechingly, hoping she'd let this one time slide. He'd make it up to her a hundred times over, because he felt like the worst part of himself by standing up and leaving just a couple of hours after what they did in the kitchen.

"Stay," she said again, and all he could do was shake his head. He got up from the bed.

"I'll call you in the morning and check on you," Sebastian said. Melissa didn't reply, so he leaned in and kissed her.

He'd expected her kiss to be sleepy, but it was anything but that. She was fiery, hot and unexpected, the kiss drawing him back down to her bed. She let her hands run under his shirt, a fingernail tracing the outline of his muscles. She was going to make him come again just from that. The desire she felt was obvious, not sated but stoked by their earlier interaction. His knee was resting on the edge of her mattress, his mind half calculating if he could push off his duties and come back to bed with her. He was about to pull his shirt off and get back into bed when he came to his senses. 

"You're making me feel better," she murmured, and Sebastian kissed her again as a response. It wasn't his most well-thought out answer, but she was too much for him to resist in that moment.

"Melissa," he said, unable to say more. She pulled back from him. 

"I know, I know." It was a statement of resignation, but it just sounded sad to his ears. "I'll follow you out and lock the door."

He kissed her goodbye again at the door, but this time it was cut off long before he could get drawn into it too deeply. When the night air hit him, it was too cold. Sebastian took out his phone to check it, but there were no messages. KSE was about a half hour away from sending everyone still there home, the cut off time for the noise on Fridays and Saturdays was 2am. Any later and they would surely get the police called on them, a citation they couldn't afford. While he trusted his vice-president, it was a training position -- he hadn't started taking over many of the duties until this past spring -- and it was unfair to foist the first and biggest party on his vice-president just because he wanted to fool around with his girlfriend.

He got in his car and reluctantly drove away from Melissa, feeling terrible all the way home. Every time he'd gotten in his car or into a cab and left other people it hadn't felt like this, but Sebastian knew the change was in him, not just because of Melissa. Maybe knowing that he'd changed into someone more responsible and that was what was keeping him away from his sick girlfriend and whatever pleasure lay in her bed for the night was what made it hard to accept. When he got back to the house just in time to see that other people were either drunk and still dancing to the music played by the dj or hooking it, it made his spirits plummet further. He waited until 2am, turned the lights on and kicked everyone out that didn't live there or wasn't with someone that lived there. It was what he was supposed to do but damn if it didn't make him feel worse.

He wanted to be back in Melissa's bed more than he wanted anything, even as he moved the couches back into the living room. It almost made him text her again saying that he'd be over, but she didn't deserve to be woken up again because of him. Once was enough, he told himself firmly, and got into his own bed, alone. All he could think of was the way she looked at him while she came, her hair falling on either side of her face in heavy curtains, the way he could feel her whole body moving and drawing up just before it broke over her and she could only say his name. Maker have mercy, she was going to be the very end of him.

The next morning he was thwarted again, because when he called her Sebastian found out that Bethany had taken her to the mage Anders and his clinic, where Bethany worked at part time. He hadn't realized she worked there, but he supposed he now understood the reason she went to a school that had traditionally trained nurses. Sebastian stomped outside in a bad mood after he'd eaten breakfast, and then went back outside to work on the project he and Fenris were working on yesterday.

The day was just as bright and sunny as it had been the day before, but his mood was nowhere near as bright. The yard of the house didn't look too bad considering all the people that had come through there the night before. He got the wood he'd been working with out of the locked shed where he'd stored them and went back to setting up his work, cursing loudly as he forgot several items and then the plans. Fenris came back as well, and seeing Sebastian's temper, didn't press him to talk.

"Did you come to the party last night?" Sebastian asked him as they worked.

"Yes, but I didn't stay long," Fenris said.

"Oh. Why not?"

"Too many people," Fenris told him.

"I've never known you to dislike crowds," Sebastian said.

"I dislike standing in a line to use the facilities," he clarified, making Sebastian grin for the first time that day. "But it seemed like a good party."

They didn't talk much after that, but the silence was companionable. The pieces they'd sanded and primed the day before we stained with weatherproofing, and new pieces were cut and prepared for another planter. The bench was finished, and now Sebastian would work on the chairs and hopefully a table. It was a lot of work, but he had the time now, more than he had during the summer. Melissa didn't, and that was part of why he'd volunteered to take on the extra work.

She must have come through the yard and not the house, because he saw Fenris motion for him to pause and then head down the steps. Sebastian looked over his shoulder to see them having a brief conversation, with Melissa nodding a lot. She grinned at Fenris as he thanked her, the words floating clearly to Sebastian's ear because the elf had turned around partially to let her up the stairs to where he and Sebastian worked.

"I'm going to get more water, excuse me," Fenris said, leaving them alone together.

She threw her arms around him. "You look busy," she said, and after hugging him pulled back to laugh, "You smell like wood chips. It's almost nice."

"I'm sorry I left you, Lissa. It was the hardest thing," he began, but she cut him off with a kiss.

"No, don't apologize. You had to go. I'm all better now, Bethany took me to her job and holy shit that healer is amazing. Cute too. I think he might have a thing for her," Melissa said and laughed at the face he made. 

He knew Anders, not well, but he knew him from working in the Chantry. His clinic served an unmet need in Kirkwall, and for that he was thankful, but Anders was an asshole. He'd read his so-called mage manifesto about how mages shouldn't have to register and go to school or anything if they didn't want it, and it was misguided. Every one should have to go to school, no matter if they were a mage or not. Whatever salient points he brought up had been undermined by the generally incoherent tone of the screed in which he wrote them. When he'd tried to have a reasoned discussion with him about it while dropping off supplies at the clinic, Anders had shut him down, telling him that his opinion didn't matter. He hadn't wanted to offer an opinion, but to understand the one Anders had, though pointing this out hadn't gotten him anywhere.

"I'm glad to hear you're better," he said instead, leaving his thoughts on Anders unvoiced.

"Can you break for lunch or should I come back? I missed you more this morning than you know," she said, her eyes sparkling at him. He felt what she wasn't saying, that she wanted him again. And he would, in due time. She'd have to wait, but he'd make it worth waiting for.

"Soon," he whispered and felt her shiver against him. He felt the delight in her anticipation. "Let's see if Fenris wants to order food too."

He stole another kiss from her before he went back inside to retrieve Fenris, who was talking to several hungover brothers inside. They were laughing about something, and Sebastian found himself smiling as he went to get him. The overbearing feeling that he'd walked out of Melissa's apartment and fucked everything up had lifted, and Sebastian was happy once again.


End file.
